Defence of a kindred spirit
by Koala Penguin
Summary: Mr Rochester bumps into Mr Brocklehurst whilst Jane goes to Mrs Reed's death bed and conveys his displeasure at how Jane was treated in Lowood School. An unlikely situation but written because I've always wanted to punch Mr B.


"Blast if I know when Jane will be back Adele. Go and bother Mrs Fairfax." Mr Rochester snapped at his ward who promptly ran away and burst into tears. Mr Rochester frowned. He knew that Jane would've disapproved of his treatment of Adele.

Mr Rochester was again pacing in the library. Jane Eyre had been gone too long and he wanted his subordinate back. Of course, he knew that Jane was more than than just a subordinate to him. Jane Eyre was his kindred spirit. They both had suffered cruelty at the hands of the ones they called family. He could see it in the way Jane would warm herself by the fire, her guilt at reading his books or how she could only eat a small amount at meal times. Then there was the night of the fire. In a rush to get to him, Jane hadn't buttoned up the last few buttons of her frock and he had seen the scars just below her neck where the birch had ravaged her skin. He had the same scars from where his father had beaten him with the cane for daring to think a thought of his own. And now ... Now Jane had gone back to Mrs Reed who had casted her off to the unfeelingness of the world. Lowood School had a reputation and he was sure that Mrs Reed knew that under Mr Brocklehurst's care that Jane would suffer. England's rich society was a small world so he was acquainted with John Reed and his sister Georgina as well as Mr Brocklehurst.

Mr Rochester saw Mr Brocklehurst as a man who was full of greed and self-righteousness in equal measure and in Mr Rochester's eyes that was a deadly mixture for those who depended on Mr Brocklehurst's generosity - those like his Jane Eyre! And when he teased her about worshipping the heartless man his suspicions about what the girls suffered there had been confirmed. Mr Rochester despised the man even more.

Mr Rochester had also met the Reeds at a few parties in London. He could see that John Reed was a bully that had never been corrected and was allowed to continue in his own defective way. Mr Rochester's own brother, the rightful heir, was cut from the same cloth and his brother treated him like one of the servants rather than an equal. Mr Rochester had also disliked Miss Georgina Reed upon meeting her. She was clearly full of conceit which had been pampered from the day she was born. Mr Rochester could see what it would've been like for Jane growing up in that household. It wouldn't have been too dissimilar from his – unwanted and bullied. A scapegoat for anything that went wrong.

Mr Rochester's father had disliked his youngest son since his wife died in child birth and so Edward could never get his father's approval no matter what he did. His father beat him hard and withheld food for any minor indiscretion. As a boy, Mr Rochester was academically brilliant and a fine sportsman, so school at first had been a refuge from his home life. He thought he had found acceptance until his father complained to the masters that he had come back unruly. His father ordered his school masters to take extra care to correct his temperament. He therefore built up a lack of respect for the masters who unfairly punished him which caused him to mentally disengage with the school ethos. For this he was punished even more.

It was his desperation to win the hearts of his father and brother that lead him to make a mistake for which he had to live with for God knows how long. His father made it clear: Come back from Jamaica married to Bertha Mason or don't come back at all. He had buckled under pressure to marry Bertha Mason even before he left England and he had arrived in Jamaica with his mind made up to make his family happy. The time spent with Bertha was carefully engineered around her normal moments. Her family had dressed Bertha up like a doll and trained Bertha to smile politely and give complements at appropriate times. Since he was a second son with no fortune he was given little attention by any of the other women in search for a husband so he found himself looking forward to the time he could spend with Bertha. He was lost and lonely in a foreign land. He wanted to know Bertha better for the sake of companionship but her family would make excuses if she wasn't in a fit mental state to receive him and he would wait weeks before he could see her again. The moments apart made him long for her and it was this longing that made him marry her quickly. When he realised her true mental state his father and brother thought it was fine joke.

Mr Rochester now knew that Bertha had a mental illness that was not thoroughly understood and therefore could not be cured. Bertha had long episodes of being very low and lethargic with thoughts of suicide to being very high with an overactive sex drive. The extremes were very difficult to manage and both were unacceptable in society. It had worsened over the years and he recognised his own part in that. He knew Bertha's imprisonment in Thornfield had meant her mind was always in a deep state of despair but there was very little he could do - it was either imprisonment at Thornfield or at an asylum. He wouldn't cut Bertha off for their parents actions but he didn't care for her much either - she was a reminder of how he had been fooled. He had travelled the world, indulged in women and wine, to escape the nightmare situation he was in.

Mr Rochester had often wondered if Jane was sent to Thornfield to torment him further. To place in front of him something he could never have. A good, innocent and kind girl with looks to match. He knew very well why he invited the Ingrams to Thornfield and that was to distract himself from Jane. He had promptly sent them away when Jane went to Mrs Reed as he no longer had any need of them. Mr Rochester knew that when he entertained himself with Blanche he had made Jane cry in the process through exposing Jane to Blanche's cold hardheartedness. He was the worst kind of blaggard for doing that to Jane. His father was right about him - he deserved everything that he got. But at the same time his folly allowed him to hope for the future in a way that he scarcely allowed himself to hope before. He saw that tears were not just for Blanche's spitefulness but also because Jane was unwilling jealous of the attention he gave to Blanche. It made him realise that Jane had feelings for him which Jane didn't understand herself given her naivety in matters concerning the heart. He had to waken in her passion and a want to be loved.

Mr Rochester wanted to go to Jane, to comfort her where she wasn't wanted. If only he could think of some excuse and get her to come back to where she belonged. But there was no socially acceptable excuse to do so. He hated that he was trapped in a world where politeness mattered over real emotions and actions. Mr Rochester went for a ride to forget about Jane Eyre. He had gone much further than he intended and had almost reached town. He decided to go to the coach inn for a swift pint of mead before his ride back.

Whilst at the coach inn Mr Rochester noticed Mr Brocklehurst enter. It was just his luck to be faced with a reminder of Jane Eyre just when he was about to block her out of his mind. He hated the sight of the man who thought himself a saint. The man who had harmed his sweet angel when she was just a child. The man who had exploited his generosity and that of others by withholding from children much needed necessities to line his own pocket. The man who had justified his self-indulgent actions by misusing the words of God. It was men like this that made Mr Rochester have little belief in a just and true God. Mr Rochester quickly drank up and tried to walk out without being noticed to avoid an unpleasant encounter with Mr Brocklehurst. Unfortunately it was too late.

"Mr Rochester" Mr Brocklehurst stiffly bowed with a superior air.

"Mr Brocklehurst" Mr Rochester acknowledged out of politeness. But then a sudden thought popped into Mr Rochester's head and a slight smile appeared at his lips. "How is the school sir?" Mr Rochester purposefully slurred and pretended to sway.

"Troublesome. The vanity of some of these girls needs to be curtailed. It is nothing that the birch can't deal with." Mr Brocklehurst huffed as remembered beating a girl who had curly long hair.

Mr Rochester's eyes flashed with anger but it was skilfully hidden with a crooked smile. "I have one of your girls in my employment. Miss Jane Eyre."

"Take my advice and send her on her way. The board made a great mistake in making that girl a teacher. If I had my way she would've been shown the door as soon as she became of age. She's the most troublesome of the lot. When the fever took hold of the school not even the devil would take her." Mr Brocklehurst still held a grudge against Jane after what Mrs Reed had told him about her and she responded to his questions in a blasphemous way.

Mr Rochester kept his anger in check but it was a struggle to keep his crooked smile on. "I agree. She is troublesome. She bewitched my horse. You must be disappointed that you couldn't crush her spirit. Whilst it is guarded it is still there. I doubt she'll be a governess for much longer." The double meaning of Mr Rochester's words was lost on Mr Brocklehurst. Mr Rochester knew that the only way he could get to keep Jane Eyre was to marry her. Jane couldn't do a dishonourable act but he could. He didn't even feel wicked for it. It had been over a decade since he engaged in any kind of relationship with Bertha. Mr Rochester then turned his attention away from his own thoughts and back to the game he was playing with Mr Brocklehurst. "It was a pleasure meeting you again. Good day to you sir."

Mr Rochester then purposefully picked up Mr Brocklehurst's hat rather than his own on his way out. He wanted to provoke an argument.

"Sir, you have taken my hat." Mr Brocklehurst called out.

"Sir, you are mistaken. This is my hat." Mr Rochester jested. "A very fine hat."

"No you are mistaken" Mr Brocklehurst responded firmly. "That is my hat."

"Are you calling me a thief?" Mr Rochester demanded an answer.

"Sir, you are drunk! That is my hat. Give it back at once." Mr Brocklehurst insisted and tried to snatch the hat.

At that Mr Rochester threw a punch at Mr Brocklehurst. He put all his frustration and anger into it so the force caused Mr Brocklehurst to crash into the table. Mr Rochester had the urge to punch Mr Brocklehurst the moment he saw him enter the coach inn though he tried to resist it. Once Mr Rochester had decided to go with the urge he knew he couldn't openly do it for Jane so had come up with this charade to avoid denting her reputation. He knew the punch would cause a scandal anyway but that it would be minor compared to the scandals his brother had caused before his death.

Mr Rochester then looked at the hat again and said "Oh dear. It is your hat. Have it back. I'm sure you could feed your school for a month for what you paid for it. I wouldn't want to put them at a disadvantage by you having to replace it." Mr Rochester gave Mr Brockhurst a smirk before he turned politely to the barman and said "I think I've caused enough trouble for one day. I'll be on my way but please send me the bill for the damages I've so clumsy caused today."

The bar man had watched the scene with a grin. He knew what Mr Rochester was up to but didn't know why. He also disliked Mr Brocklehurst for the way he treated the girls in his care, he had lost a sister in the fever that hit Lowood School, but given the barman's low rank in society could do nothing about it. However, he could implicitly support Mr Rochester by saying "No need to concern yourself sir. All will be dealt with."

"I insist" Mr Rochester replied with a smile and then steadily walked out of the coach inn. Mr Brocklehurst then realised that whilst Mr Rochester had put on a good show of being drunk actually wasn't and so was left wondering the real cause for Mr Rochester to punch him.


End file.
